Jack Ma’s potential entry lends fire to SCMP

In talks: A photo illustration shows the South China Morning Post website displayed on a computer in Hong Kong. Jack Ma is in talks to buy a stake in the publisher of SCMP. – Reuters

HONG KONG: Chinese Internet tycoon Jack Ma’s mooted buyout of Hong Kong’s struggling South China Morning Post (SCMP) could see the paper prosper from his Midas touch, analysts say, but also further erode its independence and with it the city’s press freedom.

The once globally renowned paper was founded in 1903 and has long given international readers an insider’s perspective on Hong Kong and the mainland, providing a window on events from the Mao era to China’s 1980s economic awakening and the 1997 handover.